Sober Housemate Wanted

Playing at

Show Description

Andy has an empty room he needs to fill. Andy is a recovering alcoholic, quite good at it, but wants to live with another sober person to stay good at it. Four interviews, four different people ... kind of.

I feel like this play could have used a bit more time for rehersals but I really liked the idea behind it. It helped remind me why every dollar I spend on my overpriced, tiny, SOLO apartment is worth it. Also, I thought the sets were very clever.

I'm not really sure what show all of these "five star" reviewers saw, because the one we went to was quite possibly the worst Fringe show we have ever seen (and we've been to festivals all over the country, not just here in Minneapolis). The dialogue was clumsy and rambling, most of the jokes fell flat, timing was pretty off, there was little emotion (aside from "Richard"), and there was almost no character development. As another reviewer said, all these five star ratings do NOT accurately reflect the quality of this show. It's a pass.

Of all the shows I've seen so far this season, Sober Housemate Wanted is my absolute favorite! Clever, subtle dialogue had our audience laughing throughout! The character development was delightfully rich, the actors seemed to unleash an authentic dysfunction, and I so wished the play had gone on much longer. This one does not disappoint!

I had high expectations based on the 5 star reviews, but was disappointed. The story had potential, but the execution was uneven and it was sometimes difficult to hear the lines. The acting was not very strong and I still am not sure what the punchline meant.

this felt like a decent pass at an early draft with a pretty solid central concept...especially when someone who's trying to live their life a certain way is finding it frustratingly difficult to have that one request truthfully respected. i don't need to get philosophical about it, but it feels like a real problem not many of us would think to face, and i appreciate stories about that. things i liked: the charming handwritten/drawn props and set pieces and program, the musical interludes, most of the cast was very energetic and entertaining, the "twist", though obvious, was still funny, so i'm okay with it. things i didn't understand: the characters that sat on stage that...were part of the action? i think? even though they weren't acknowledged until the ending? hey, regardless, i laughed, so i feel like my time was not wasted. great job!

I went because of all the positive reviews...but was so disappointed. Acting was stilted and over done. The writing made no sense. Comedy timing was off. It started to feel painful in the end like they didn't know how to wrap up the show. Funny premise but poor execution.

It's easy to write a positive review for this show - because the careful planning and the hard work of the director and cast is obvious! My favorite 'factoid' that is little known, but the actual sober roommate is in the cast! Wonderfully done!

We're not off to a good start when the lead actor starts with "I'd like to begin this show with an announcement, this is a comedy so please laugh and applaud when it seems appropriate, there's a lot of dry humor."
Honestly I don't want to be mean, but the 5 star reviews are dishonest. There was some good acting (particularly by candidate 1 and 2), but overall I'm underwhelmed and confused. For instance, why was one roommate sitting there just eating cereal the whole time? He was an actual person present in all three scenes and never acknowledged, what am I not getting? I could go on.

Video Trailer

Cast and Crew

Eric Dymit

Reba Landers

Nikki Pederson

Eli Ruffer

Matthew Schneeman

Linds Symons

More Information

Sober Housemate Wanted is a comedy, wait … no, it’s a drama. Hmm, if only there was a concise neologism to describe the overlap of the comedy/drama ven diagram. Ah, i know! Cromedy!

It’s a dry-ass comedy, like if Aaron Sorkin wrote a mumblecore movie. It’s dialogue driven and carried by a great group of actors who are involved in a wide range of theater, movie, and performance art. The short run of this play allows these actors to jump in, gobble up the angst ridden play about housing insecurity, and shit out a kinetic, hilarious performance about some people you love to watch, mostly because you don’t have to deal with them in real life.

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